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  • May 13, 2011

    The White House announces that U.S. special envoy George Mitchell has submitted his resignation, effective 5/20 (the day Obama is to meet with Netanyahu at the White House). Secy. of State Clinton...

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  • February 10, 2011

    In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Dajan village nr. Nablus in the morning, photographing several homes, the local council building, and a mosque; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, firing...

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  • June 10, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-Mazra‘a village nr. Ramallah at dawn, arresting 1 Palestinian teenager, releasing him later in the day. (PCHR 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

    Hrs. before the...

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The White House announces that U.S. special envoy George Mitchell has submitted his resignation, effective 5/20 (the day Obama is to meet with Netanyahu at the White House). Secy. of State Clinton appoints Mitchell aide David Hale as interim special envoy. (NYT, WP 5/14)

In Jerusalem, Israeli police and settlement security guards outside Beit Yonatan in Silwan fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths, seriously wounding a Palestinian teenager walking some distance away. Numerous clashes are also reported, particularly around East Jerusalem, as Palestinians demonstrate in commemoration of the Nakba. In the Jordan Valley, a Palestinian boy is injured when he accidentally triggers IDF UXO. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 2 Palestinians (including 1 child) and 1 international activist; 2 Palestinians and 2 Israeli activists are arrested. (WP 5/15; PCHR 5/19; OCHA 5/20)

Heeding calls fr. Palestinian organizers on Facebook, 100s of Jordanians in Amman and 1,000s of Egyptians in Cairo rally after Friday prayers in support of Palestinian rights. (AP, DPA, Huffington Post 5/13)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Dajan village nr. Nablus in the morning, photographing several homes, the local council building, and a mosque; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths in 1 incident, causing no serious injuries; patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm in the afternoon, checking Palestinian IDs but making no arrests. (PCHR 2/17; OCHA 2/18)

Early in the day, Egyptian military and ruling party officials announce that Mubarak will make a televised address later in the day and “meet the demands of the protesters.” The statement’s title, “communiqué no. 1 of the army command,” and accompanying TV footage showing DM Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and military chief of staff Gen. Anan chairing a meeting of senior army officers without Mubarak or Suleiman present spark rumors that the military has staged a coup. Raising expectations, Gen. Anan and Gen. Hassan al-Roueini (military cmdr. of Cairo) separately go to Tahrir Square to tell protesters that “all your demands will be met today.” When Mubarak gives his statement, however, he only turns over powers to Suleiman temporarily and makes some constitutional amendments, but vows again not to step down before his term expires and that he will oversee the reform process. Suleiman follows with a separate speech telling Egyptians to “go back home and to work. Do not listen to foreign[ers] whose aim is to . . . weaken Egypt.” The immediate reaction of protesters listening to the addresses in Tahrir Square is deep anger and frustration, with demonstrators chanting “Leave! Leave! Leave!” as Mubarak’s speech unfolds. Senior military officers soon after tell the Egyptian press that the speeches were not seen in advance by the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces and were “in defiance of the armed forces.” (AP, Huffington Post, NYT, WP 2/10; NYT, WP, WT 2/11)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-Mazra‘a village nr. Ramallah at dawn, arresting 1 Palestinian teenager, releasing him later in the day. (PCHR 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

Hrs. before the Palestinian Central Elections Commission’s deadline to submit electoral lists for municipal elections slated to begin on 7/17, the PA postpones municipal elections indefinitely, claiming that they would derail national unity talks with Hamas. Analysts, however, overwhelmingly attribute the decision to Fatah’s inability to agree on its own slate of candidates and preelection polls indicating that non-Fatah independent candidates were poised to win key races. (JP, NYT, WP 6/11; PCHR 6/15; Huffington Post 6/19, Arab Reform Bulletin 7/21; HA 7/27; see also YA 6/7)